Karl Debbaut: Trial put back to 24 October

SOCIALIST PARTY member Karl Debbaut has had the hearing for his charges of “assault on a police officer” (an allegation which anti-war protesters totally reject) put back until 24 October.

Karl, the coordinator of International Socialist Resistance (ISR), was in court in south London on 24 September, along with scores of supporters. Unfortunately a separate case from the morning over-ran so there was no time to hear Karl’s case.

Karl was arrested on Day X, 20 March, the day that war with Iraq started. After a successful school students’ protest in Lewisham, police entered a bus going from there to a national protest in Parliament Square and arrested three people.

The cases against two of the arrested were dismissed. Karl was arrested while supporting one of the most successful protest movements during the war – that of the school students.

Despite this Karl was not allowed to speak from the platform at last weekend’s big anti-war demonstration, even though there were scores of speakers and Karl is the only person who faces possible jailing for organising anti-war protests.

Anti-war campaigners will ask why it needed lobbying by a trade union lay official, PCS president Janice Godrich, even to get Karl’s statement asking for support on 24 October to be announced from the platform! Despite this apparently political censorship – thousands of demonstrators signed the petition in support of Karl.

Karl Debbaut and his supporters are asking for a huge turnout at Woolwich Magistrates Court, Belmarsh Road, London SE28 on Friday 24 October from 9am.